Mars Lander Team Prepares for "Seven Minutes of Terror"

If you have seen the amazing movie Apollo 13, or if you were alive during those dramatic days when NASA and the astronauts aboard Apollo 13 worked around the clock to return three astronauts home safely after a huge explosion, then you will remember the moments of terror when communication with Apollo 13 was disrupted and how the world waited in silence for the crew to speak so we would know they were okay.

This is the same kind of terror that the NASA team is preparing for on May 25th. Minutes of silence when they will lose communication with the Mars Lander, Phoenix. They are praying that communication will resume and the landing will be successful, but there is always a chance that during that critical time, communication will be lost forever.

If successful, the probe will be the first lander to reach a Martian pole and the first to actually touch the planet's water ice.The tension for this mission seems especially intense, since Phoenix is not the first craft to attempt a landing at a Martian pole.

I have been fascinated with the images the Rovers have sent back to Earth. I think it would be awesome for astronauts to visit Mars. I want our world to reach out to the stars to explore, and to me, this seems like the logical next step. With bated breath, I will be waiting to see how things go on the 25th. Good luck, Phoenix!